Gas and liquid contact apparatus



Xii 23, 1932.

I I SPERR. JR 1,873,064

AND LIQUID CONTACT APPARATUS (ms v Original Filed July 26. 1926 2Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.

Aug. 23, 1932.

F. W. SPERR. JR

GAS AND LIQUID CONTACT APPARATUS Original Filed July 26. 1926 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Aug. 23,- 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICErnnmmrcx w. srnnn, JR, or PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR me manxorrnns COMPANY or DELAWARE, A conronA'rIoN or DELAWARE GAS AND LIQUIDCONTACT APPARATUS Original application filed. July 26, 1926, Serial No.125,003. Divided and this application filed March 3, 1930. Serial No.432,645.

My invention relates to apparatus for treating gas, .such, for example,as coke-oven gas, water gas, fuel gases and the like, and is closelyrelated to the apparatus shown and 6 described in my copendingapplication Serial N 0. 125,003, filed July 26, 1926, of which thisapplication is a division.

An object of my invention is to provide simple and efiicient apparatusfor use in the 10 liquid treatment of gas to remove liquid that may beentrained therein.

A further object of my invention is to provide apparatus of thecharacter described by means of which the gas may be successivelytreated with liquid and any entrained liquid may'be removed therefrom.

A further object of my invention is to provide apparatus for treatinggas in which spray devices may be easily and conveniently assembled orinspected with respect to means for detraining liquid supplied from thespray devices and carried by the gas.

Various devices have been proposed heretofore for removing entrainedmoisture from air or gas but these have generally depended upon a rapidflow of the gas and relativelyhigh inertia of the entrained drops ofmoisture to remove the latter, as the gas has changed its direction moreor less abruptly.

In accordance with the present invention, I provide means similar tothat of the usual contact apparatus for treating gas with liquid andwhich operates to efliciently remove entrained liquid from the gas. Ingeneral, the apparatus comprises a section of packing or hurdles locatedabove the sprays for the usual contactmaterial and through which the gaspasses after traversing the contact material that is sprayed withliquid.

The details of my invention will be described in connection with theaccompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a partially diagrammaticillustration of apparatus embodying my invention; and

Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail view in verticalsection of a portion of theapparatus of Vhile my invention is adapted equally well for use inconnection with dehydration apparatus, gas purification apparatus orother apparatus of the gas and liquid contact type, it is shown anddescribed by way of examplein connection with dehydration apparatus.

Referring particularly to Fig. 1, two scrubbing towers 1 and 2 that areconnected in series are employed for dehydrating gas. Gas passes throughthe towers successively by means of an inlet pipe 3, a connecting pipe 4and an outlet pipe 5 for the tower 2.

The tower 1 is provided in its upper portion with a section of woodenhurdles 6 which provide a relatively large area of contact surface. Theintermediate portion of the tower is provided with a larger section ofsimilar wooden hurdles 7.. Between the sections of hurdles 6 and 7 is agroup of sprays 8 of stirrup form carrying spatter plates 9.

The sprays 8, which may be secured in position in any suitable manner,are preferably supported from the top of the tower 1. The sprays 8 aresupplied by means of pipes .10, which are telescopically connectedthereto and which extend through the top of the tower and the section ofhurdles 6. The sprays are preferably of the type shown and described inthe patent to C. 1). Blackburn, No. 1,597,715, dated August 31, 1926.

The bottom portion of the tower is provided with a sump 11 forcollecting the dehydrating solution and which comprises a liquid seal 12for the purpose of preventing gas from being drawn into the circulatingsystem for the solution.

, The tower 2 comprises an upper section of packing comprising metalturnings 13, which may be of either iron or steel. A similar section ofturnings 14 is disposed in the central portion of the tower 2 and, as inthe tower 1, a group of sprays 15, similar to sprays 8, is disposedbetween the sections of turnings, the sprays being connected tovertically-extending pipes 16 that extend through the. turnings 13 andthe top of the tower. A-saturator bell 17 that is located in the bottomportion of the tower 2 and is normally immersed in dehydrating solutionis serrations or openings 18, through which the gas from the pipe 4emerges in bubbles when the apparatus is in operation.

The apparatus employed in the first stage of the dehydrating processcomprises the tower 1, a recirculating pump 20 that is connected to thesump 11 and an evaporator 21 that is preferably of the continuous typethat is con'nected to the outlet pipe 22 of the pump 20 and, by means ofa pipe 23, to the sump 11. A cooler 24, which is here illustrated as ofthe conventional type, comprising a coil 25 and a water spray 26, is inseries with the pump 20 and is connected by pipes 27 and 28 to the pipes10 for supplying the sprays 8. The dehydrating solution for the firststage is preferably a saturated aqueous solution of calcium chloride.

The apparatus employed in the second sta e of the process comprises thetower 2 an a pipe 30 that is connected to a source (not shown) of asuitable supply of sulphuric acid of desired concentration.

Reference may now be had to Fig. 2, which illustrates in enlarged detailthe upper portion of the tower 1, including the section of hurdles 6 andthe sprays 8 extending therethrough. This portion of the tower 1 hasbeen taken by way of example inasmuch as the corresponding portion ofthe tower 2 and the section 13 of metal turnings in the upper portionthereof are similar in principle and operation.

Each of the sprays 8 comprises a tubular member 37 that is'secured tothe top of the tower 1 in any suitable manner, as, for example, by beingelectrically welded to a collar 38 that is similarly secured to the topof the tower. The members 37 extend downwardly below the member 39 forsupporting the section of hurdles 6. The pipes 10, which telescope withthe members 37, are secured at their outer ends to the supporting meansfor the tubular members 37 by means of screw-threaded portions 40.

In the construction of the apparatus comprising the sprays 8 andthesection of hurdles 6, the sprays are first placed in position and thehurdles are next assembled by placing them in position in suitablelayers around the sprays 8. The general arrangement of the hurdles maybe, for example, that shown and described in my Patent N 0. 1,715,253,dated May 28, 1929.

In the operation of the system shown in Fig. 1, gas saturated with watervapor flows through the inlet pipe 3 and upwardly through the tower 1 tothe outlet pipe 4. The sprays 8 are supplied with any suitabledehydrating solution, such, for example, as a saturated solution ofcalcium chloride. The sprays 8 supply this solution to the section ofhurdles 7 and the gas passes in countercurrent to the dehydratingsolution.

After the gas passes the section of hurdles which section is notsupplied with dehydrat ing solution and which operates by contact withthe gas to remove entrained drops of liquid that may be carried thereby.

The gas then passes through a spray bafiie 32 at the entrance of thepipe 34 and a spray catcher 33 that operate to remove any calciumchloride spray that has not been removed by the hurdles 6. It will beunderstood, however, that the hurdles 6 operate efliciently to removesubstantially an calcium chloride spray and that the bafile 32 and spraycatcher 3.3 are provided as a matter of precaution, in case abnormalconditions prevail within the tower 1.

The gas then enters the saturator bell 17, from which it flows upwardlyfrom metal turnings 14, saturated with sulphuric acid supplied by thesprays 15. The gas next engages the relatively dry turnings 13, whichoperate to remove substantially allof the sulphuric acid entrained inthe gas.

The gas then passes out of the tower and through the pipe 5 to amagnesite box 34, where any traces of sulphuric acid are removed andthence through an outlet pipe 35, through which it may be conveyed toany suitable storage space or distribution system.

The arrangement whereby sprays of the detachable-connection type areplaced below a section of hurdles or other packing material isparticularly advantageous, since the connecting pipes may be withdrawnfor removal of obstructions without withdrawing the stirrup portionswhich carry the spatter plates. 10.

The foregoing and other advantages will be apparent to those skilled inthe art to which my invention appertains.

I claim as my invention:

1. Gas and liquid contact apparatus com- 105 prising a tower havin twospaced sections of hurdles therein, a p urality of sprays between saidsections for spraying the lower section, pipes connected to the top ofsaid tower and extending through the upper'sec- 1 tion for supportingsaid sprays, and pipes telescopically connected to the supporting pipesfor supplying said sprays.

2. Gas and liquid contact apparatus comprising a tower having twosuperposed sec- 115 tions of packing, a plurality of spray devicesbetween said sections and supported by pipes extending through saidupper section, pipes telescoping with the supporting pipes anddetachably connected thereto for supplying 120 said sprays, and gasinlet and outlet-means for said tower.

3. Gas and liquid contact apparatus comprising a tower for the liquidtreatment of gas, a plurality of superposed sections of con- 125 tactmaterial therein, through which a current of gas is adapted to flowupwardly, and means comprising a spray of the spatter plate type belowthe uppermost section for spray 7, it passes through the section ofhurdles 6,ing the other contact material with liquid and a detachablesuppl pipe for said spray extending through sai uppermost section,whereby the uppermost section operates to remove liquid entrained bysaid gas.

4c. Gas and liquid contact apparatus comprising a tower having twosuperposed spaced sections of contact material, a spray between saidsections having a tubular supporting member extending through said up- 1per section, and a pipe extending through the v top of said tower thatis telescopically connected to and Withdrawable from said supportingmember.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 21st dayof February,

FREDERICK W. SPERR, J B.

